By Canadian Press

Quebec public daycare registry hit by cyberattack, 5,000 personal files compromised

May 11, 2021 | 10:09 AM

MONTREAL — Quebec’s online daycare waiting list was hit by a cyberattack over the weekend, with the personal data of 5,000 parents and children compromised.

Families Minister Mathieu Lacombe confirmed in a statement today he was one of the victims of the attack, first reported by Montreal La Presse.

The news organization reported that someone created an administrator profile to access the data and downloaded the files of 5,000 parents, which included confidential information like names, birthdates and phone numbers.

Coopérative Enfance Famille, the independent organization that manages the website, called La Place 0-5, says the site is currently offline as a preventive measure while tests are conducted.

Although the illegal access occurred Saturday, the organization says it only learned of the breach on Monday after La Presse inquired about it. 

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The cooperative says in a statement it is collaborating with Quebec provincial police, the province’s cyber defence centre and the Families Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2021.

The Canadian Press